LANDLORD Tom Hetherington has been subjected to a campaign of intimidation by yobs who caused £3,000 of damage to his Teesside pub, torched his car and threatened his family.

The trouble began after he evicted a man he believes to be a drug dealer from the Thomas Sheraton in Bridge Road, Stockton, just over a week ago.

“I told him I didn’t want him in my pub,” said Mr Hetherington, 38. “I asked him to leave the pub and he took it personally.”

In the early hours of the following morning, every window in the pub was smashed and Mr Hetherington had to pay £400 to have them boarded up and another £2,700 to have the glass replaced. The incident was captured on CCTV.

A man was arrested and given police bail, according to the landlord. But the next day he visited the pub, he said.

“On the same night he came outside the pub and said, ‘what are you blaming me for?’. Then it was verbal threats.”

At 12.30am on Wednesday, one of the windows was smashed again and police were called.

“I am at risk, my family is at risk and the pub is at risk,” said Mr Hetherington, who lives with his wife Coleen, 38, and children Steven, 18, Ryan, 16, and Robert 14. His step-son Jamie Ferry, 21, lives in Gateshead.

“I understand that there are police priorities but these people might have been caught if there was an earlier response.”

Then at 5pm last Friday, the windows of Mr Hetherington’s BMW 318 were smashed and burning paper thrown inside. After being alerted by a neighbour, Mr Hetherington was able to extinguish the fire.

But at 6.30am the next day, a second man ignited the car again, using so much petrol he accidentally set fire to himself in the process.

And at 6.50pm that day, Mr Hetherington got a phone call to say that his pub was on fire but police didn’t arrive, he said, until 8.30pm.

“It’s so stressful, it’s affecting family life,” he said. “My wife’s a nervous wreck and I have had to send my kids away.

“It’s getting to the point where I’m sitting in the pub until 1 o’clock in the morning with the lights off just to see if anything is going to happen.”

A spokesman for Cleveland Police confirmed the crimes had been reported to officers.